Hip Injury
Compensation Claims

Things to consider when making a hip or pelvis injury claim

• Compensation can range from £4,380 for a short-term hip injury to £145,250 for extensive hip and pelvis injuries with permanent disability.
• You can claim if your injury took place on the job, during a road accident, in a slip or fall in public, or as a result of medical negligence.
• You can also claim if someone else's negligence caused an existing injury to get worse.
• You have up to 3 years from the date of your injury to start a claim.
• Your compensation will depend on the seriousness of your injury, and your financial losses and expenses. You can find out how much you can claim with our compensation calculator.
• Compensation will cover physiotherapy and long-term care needs during your recovery.
• Compensation is also awarded based on your future healthcare issues, including the risk of hip replacement, further surgery, arthritis and chronic pain.
• Your claim can proceed on a no win, no fee basis.

If you have been affected by a hip or pelvis, we're here to help

A hip or pelvis injury can be a painful and debilitating experience. Serious injuries require surgery, lengthy rehabilitation and will have a lasting impact on your daily life and ability to work. Hip fractures, dislocations, bursitis and tendinitis can lead to long-term pain and discomfort and possibly permanent loss of movement.

If you have suffered a hip or pelvic injury, we can help you understand your rights and options for claiming injury compensation.

With almost 90,000 hip and thigh injury admissions every year, you are not alone

Compensation claims for hip injuries are common and are often the result of a slip or trip, a road traffic collision or a work accident.

Hip injuries can affect people of all ages, although certain groups are more vulnerable. Where joints are more fragile, due to old age or a congenital condition, injury can be sustained through even the slightest trauma. For younger people, hip injuries are often due to a more serious accident or incident.

Our analysis indicated the NHS admitted 86,791 patients with hip and thigh injuries in 2021-22 (digital.nhs.uk).

The increasing participation in high-impact sports and the aging population have contributed to an increase in hip injuries.

In the elderly, the most frequent cause of hip injuries are falls, often leading to hip fractures due to the decreased bone density that comes with aging.

Among sportspeople and physically active individuals, hip injuries can result from overuse, impact, or accidents, leading to conditions like hip labral tears, strains, or bursitis.

If you decide to make a hip injury claim, your personal injury solicitor will take you through every step of the claims process. Your solicitor will be with you until you win your claim and get the compensation you deserve.

For information on hip fracture symptoms and treatment, visit: Hip fractures (nhs.uk).

How much compensation can I claim for a hip injury?

Compensation for your hip injury is dependent on:

• how significant your injury is,
• how your injury disrupts your life and work,
• any costs or financial impacts you?ve suffered due to your injury.

General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA). Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College (judiciary.uk) and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.

Special damages are awarded to compensate you for any costs or losses you've incurred or might incur as a result of your accident. These costs might include loss of earnings (including future anticipated earnings loss), retraining costs, career trajectory impact, or any other out of pocket expenses.

Special damages may also be awarded for medical treatments or procedures that you might need to treat your hip injury, including pain medication, physiotherapy, hip brace and surgery if needed.

Read more:

A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim

How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?

Average injury general damages compensation table

The following injury payouts refer to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, 17th Edition by the Judicial College (oup.com).

These tables are used by solicitors or by the courts as a starting point when calculating your compensation.

Please note: these average figures represent general damages only, and do not include any element of special damages (e.g. lost wages).

Pelvis and hip injury

Can I claim for PTSD or other psychological trauma?

Psychiatric harm is less obvious than physical injury, but the consequences can be just as difficult to deal with.

According to our 2024 Personal Injury Claimant Survey shows that 29.03% of potential claimants sustained a psychological injury, 70.97% of which related to a physical injury.

Hip injuries may cause basiphobia (fear of falling), anxiety about mobility, depression from loss of independence, and the potential need for long-term care.

Psychiatric harm is less obvious than physical injury, but the consequences can be just as difficult to deal with.

Our compensation calculator can estimate your compensation for psychological injuries. Or you can call us on 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor.

Am I entitled to make a hip injury claim?

You can start a claim for a hip injury, if:

• you were injured in the last 3 years, and;
• someone else was at fault, and;
• they owed a duty of care to prevent harm.

Use our injury claim calculator to find out if you can claim. Or you can call 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor. Find out in minutes if you have a claim.

Can I claim compensation if I was partly at fault?

The law concerning liability (or blame) for an accident is complex, and varies depending on the situation.

In our 2024 Personal Injury Claimant Survey, 13.99% of respondents believed they were partly responsible for their injuries, or were uncertain.

Claims are possible even when your actions partially caused the accident. In instances of 'contributory negligence', claims are usually settled with a split liability agreement.

Read more:

Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?

How long do I have to make a hip injury claim?

An injury claim will usually need to be made within 3 years of the date or your accident or injury.

For injured children, a claim can be started by a parent or guardian at any time before they turn 18. Thereafter, the injured individual has until their 21st birthday to make a claim on their own.

Types of hip injury

A person suffering a hip injury often has to take time off work - sometimes for a lengthy period. They may also be unable to carry out their normal everyday activities. In addition, hip injury can result in the need for long-term medical care and assistance.

Common hip injuries seen in compensation claims include:

Hip fracture

A hip fracture is a crack or break in the neck of the femur nearest the hip joint. According to the NHS, around 70,000 to 75,000 occur in the UK each year. Common causes include falls to a solid surface or blunt trauma.

Hip dislocation

Hip dislocation occurs when the ball-shaped head of the femur pops out of the cup-shaped acetabulum set in the pelvis. Common causes are an impact collision or a hard fall.

Muscle/ligament tears

Hip sprains occur due to a sudden contraction of muscle which stretches or tears the ligaments that support the hip joint. Common causes are over stretching or a hard blow to the muscle.

Hip bursitis

Bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa - a fluid-filled sack that reduces friction between moving tissues. Common causes are traumatic injury and repetitive pressure on the hip.

Types of pelvis injury

The pelvis is a complex structure composed of bones and ligaments. It anchors the powerful muscles of the hip, thigh and abdomen and protect a variety of internal organs.

The bones of the pelvis include the sacrum, the coccyx (tail bone) and the left and right coxal (hip) bones. Each hip bone is made up of 3 bones; the ilium, the ischium and the pubis, which meet at the centre to form the socket of the hip bone (acetabulum).

In the adult pelvis the bones join together to form four joints: the left and right sacroiliac joints, the sacrococcygeal joint, and the pubic symphysis.

Injuries to the pelvis can be devastating. As well as bruised and strained muscles, fractures and dislocations may occur. The most serious injuries may also include damage to the internal organs, including life-altering injuries to the digestive and reproductive systems.

Who is liable for a hip or pelvis injury?

As hip injuries can occur in a variety of different situations, who is liable depends on the individual facts of the case. For example, if a hip injury was sustained during a non-fault car or motorcycle accident, the other driver would be liable.

Alternatively, a hip injury which occurred in the workplace, whether caused by a fall from height, moving machinery or a slip or trip on a factory floor, would see the employer held liable under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other relevant legislation.

For other slips, trips and falls which occur outside of the workplace, for example in a supermarket or on a public footpath, the owner/occupier of the land or premises would be responsible under the Occupier's Liability Act 1957.

Vulnerable groups

In the case of vulnerable groups, the duty of care imposed on a shop owner or employer may not necessarily be higher because of the group's vulnerability to injury, but the owner, occupier or employer must take reasonable steps to protect anyone they owe this duty to from foreseeable harm.

In the example of a slip in a shop, the shop owner must put in place an inspection programme to ensure that spills are identified quickly and cleaned up. A failure to operate such a procedure may amount to negligence if someone is injured as result.

Typical causes of pelvis injuries

Serious injuries to the pelvis are usually caused by high energy impacts. Examples include:

• Where considerable force dislocates a hip or fractures the pelvis - a pedestrian hit by a car, or a motorcyclist involved in a collision may sustain these type of injuries.
• A road traffic accident involving impact with a large vehicle, or an immovable object such as a crash barrier may cause trauma to the pelvis.
• Falling from a height in the workplace may also result in similar injuries. Additionally a worker falling from a ladder or slipping and falling backwards may sustain painful injuries to the sacrum or coccyx.
• High-energy force may crush the pelvic area - for example a large object falling on to a claimant - or impact from large machinery in the workplace.

Participants in high-impact sports such as rugby, climbing and martial arts may also sustain pelvic injuries.

See also:

Pedestrian accident claims

Road traffic accident claims

The hip injury claims process

The first step is to contact a solicitor to discuss your options and to determine whether you may have a claim.

The solicitor will help to arrange a medical exam to establish the nature and severity of the hip injury. The report produced following this medical will provide crucial medical evidence in support of your claim.

Other evidence will also be gathered to support your hip injury claim, such as:

• A shop or office's accident book
• Company health and safety records
• Photographs of the hazard or scene of the accident
• CCTV footage of the incident
• Witness statements

If the liable party is insured, a solicitor will contact the insurers notifying them of the claimants intention to claim. If they accept liability, a compensation sum will be agreed upon, depending on the severity of the hip injury and its wider impact on the person's life.

If liability is not accepted, or the defendant argues contributory negligence, the case may go to Court.

What factors affect the hip injury claims process?

The claims process is influenced by how your hip injury occurred. Click the icons below to find out more.

Work accidents Public places Road accidents Medical negligence Other accidents

Sources

Author:
Chris Salmon, Director

About the author

Chris Salmon is a co-founder and Director of Quittance Injury Claims. Chris has played key roles in the shaping and scaling of a number of legal services brands and is a regular commentator in the legal press.